. >> reporter: the rowdy teen is listening to brand new music from acclaimed songwriter diane warren. warren brought countless hits clive's way. >> i love the idea of this kind of song, duet. >> mary j. and jennifer. >> yes. this properly produced could be very strong. >> imagine that live at the grammys. clive will never let an artist pass on a hit song. people are scared of artists. don't want to hurt their feelings. clive is not. maybe they're mad at the beginning. when they sell 10 million record they're not mad anymore. >> reporter: his book is rich in stories. one of them the painful details of what happened a year ago when he got the phone call whitney houston was dead. >> i was here in this bungalow. and that phone rang on that desk. >> reporter: you have been called by many including members of her family, her professional father. did you feel in any way, oh, my goodness, i should have recognized there was a problem even then when she was here? >> after i saw her, as a skeletal figure at the michael jackson madison square garden concert, from my heart i wrote her a letter it